End of the Colossus
by chaoserver
Summary: A lonely tale, befitting the solitude the land this tale is a tribute to.


**End of the Colossus- A tribute to the Forbidden Lands by Chaoserver**

Agro bounded down the sloping land, his four legs pounding against the earth. The sunlight was blocked out as Agro galloped between the two mountains, Wander bobbing up and down on his back. Wander tucked his blade away as they passed by a cluster of large natural rocks which dotted the base and eventually converged with the mountain.

Before them there was a cave set in the wall of a rock formation, which spread outwards to either side, and upwards almost as high as the mountains. It was through this cave he knew his enemy must reside. Not enemy though, in these forbidden lands there was not one entity he would label as his enemy. Even after collapsing after hours of struggling with a massive mountain-like beast he had never felt any resentment, but rather sadness as he lay next to it's lifeless body.

He shook his head, pushing his thoughts from his mind as he neared the cave's entrance, the words of Dormin a solemn warning: _A tail trapped within a pail deep within the forest...A shadow that crawls on the walls._

The cave was small and mossy, lizards taking residence in the crevices and outcrops it provided. Almost as he entered, light at the exit could be seen, and the gentle sound of water reached his ears. Agro came to a stop as he exited the cave. No looming giant greeted him, but rather a subtly beautiful scene of a small waterfall emptying into a pond obscured by mist. A natural narrow stone bridge passed over the misty pond. The cave had led to a quiet beautiful haven, encircled by rock.

Wander dismounted, not wanting his steed to have to cross the narrow pass. He hurried on, though not so rushed as to impede the sound of water. There were numerous grasses along the path, notably he saw vegetation wrapped about an ancient pillar just over twice his height. It was unmistakably crafted by humans, given its proportions even after such a long time, and the distinctly human designs carved in its surface. What purpose it had served remained a mystery as Wander continued on, leaving the only sign of human craft since departing the temple standing as solitary as it had since whatever clan crafted it inhabited the lands.

Before him was a turn in the great stones that cut off this place from the rest of the land. Leaving the quiet waterfall and his horse behind him he took the turn. After a couple of steps onward he was met by an immense and breathtaking sight.

There were trees all about. Not as much as the northern lands, but aside from the forest he had ventured into more than he had seen elsewhere in the Forbidden Lands. Some of the trees reached far up towards the light which shone down on the beautiful vista. One tree in particular rose up with unmatched height, dwarfing all the others. A few steps in front of Wander was a body of water, accompanied by the sound of flowing water, though from where this came Wander could not see from his vantage point. What he could see however was a dark stone building sitting on an island on the distant side of the opening. The building's features were hard to determine but it was consumed by moss and plants.

Wander headed to his right, taking note of the thin strip of land in that direction that stretched out towards the island. He passed by two more pillars like the one he had seen before, though one had been toppled and was densely covered by vegetation. Passing the gargantuan tree and dodging past several other sizable ones he came upon the rock dotted strip of land and began to cross it, having to wade through shallow water twice as he made his way to the island.

A large rock and a few smaller ones were the only things other than the building that occupied the island. As he approached the unmarred entrance Wander examined the time worn walls, finding no hints as to the purpose that the builders had intended. Proceeding inside he noticed light shining through a vine covered hole in the ceiling. The halls of the building curved downwards, as did the stairs, leading deep into the building.

After a moment he came upon a large lobby of sorts, carvings of unknown symbols covered the walls, and any conventional means of crossing to the other side had been lost. The stairs continued down, though there was no purpose as only walls were there to greet him. However two torches mysteriously burned upon pedestals on either side of the room, though the destroyed ceiling allowed enough light to make them useless. Examining them he noticed slight ledges on the pillar's sides, and realized he could scale them to reach the platform above. He climbed up the right pillar, edging his way to the other side as he reached the top, and leaped onto the platform. Even from the platform no remnants of an easier ascent could be seen. Continuing on he reached a last set of stairs. As he passed through the door at the bottom of the steps he could see many man sized, vertically stretching windows partly covered by grating. On either side, many feet away he could see stairs that headed further down.

He approached the window, becoming steadily aware that the structure he was in was a massive coliseum. More grated windows lined the walls across from him, light shining down from the open ceiling illuminating the breathtaking scene. Dormin's words abruptly made sense, and Wander frantically looked about. Only this could be the pail Dormin spoke of, meaning within it was...

A low unearthly sound finished Wander's thought, followed by the grating of stone against stone below him. Wander stumbled back, already knowing what he sought was housed within the coliseum's walls. A steady thump resonated about the walls before Wander. However before it appeared he fled to the staircase at his right, descending swiftly down two flights as the sound came to a stop behind him. At the base of the steps Wander froze, for before him there was a great chunk of the floor and wall of the coliseum missing, allowing a view of of the countless windows in the immense stadium. For a moment he could not help but think of the old inhabitants of the Forbidden Land, and how in their dominance they had to create conflict within these walls to satisfy their hunger. It saddened him, for until that moment he had been ignorant to anything but purity in these lonely lands.

However almost as a testament to his thoughts a swift sound came from above. A sound he had never heard before, for it was both quick and fierce. And then his eyes fell upon it. Clinging to the wall the lower half of a heaving entity could be seen, it's body covered by rocky plates. A long tail hung, grazing the ancient walls. Four legs, fitted with claws that gripped the walls could be seen beneath the plates. The whole of the beast was shrouded by bolts of white heat, though the gap in the wall did not allow a view of the head. The sound of whatever onslaught the creature was delivering rang out once again through the coliseum.

Unease crept over Wander, the dark secret hidden beneath the beautiful lake housing such an embodiment of aggression and fury gave him a feeling he had not felt since crossing the great bridge. The other giants had been peaceable, although defensive. Yet here without provocation a blind onslaught was being delivered.

Still somewhat hunched over, Wander drew out his bow and steadily crept forth to where the floor and wall had fallen away. Hoping his change in location was still a secret he fitted an arrow in his bow and took aim at the only exposed region of his foe: it's legs. His aim was true, but as he shot, the beast shifted downward slightly, the arrow deflecting off one of its' numerous plates. It's head was before him now, beady eyes red with hate, neck swiveling violently, bright sand gathering in it's mouth. Wander swiftly refitted his bow and shot once more, this time sticking an arrow within the white, glowing leg, which quickly blackened and became limp. The sand within the shaking mouth dispersed as it let out a cry of anguish and stumbled.

However to Wander's dismay the red eyes focused on him once more, and energy crackled about the beasts mouth. Not having time to run from the attack he dived forth, off the ledge as the sand scattered behind him. He landed hard, despite that he had landed on the floor directly below, narrowly avoiding falling to the distant ground. The creature shifted above him, face now directed down towards him.

Stone resonating beneath him, sand flying about, falling rock, and the flashing eyes consumed Wander. For a moment his mind was no longer surrounded by rock, but rather freely glided without cause. He drifted to a temple, passing through it's open walls. There upon an altar lay a motionless girl, her soft face so peaceful she could have been sleeping.

With a jolt Wander fitted his bow as he shifted and shot upwards blindly, for he only saw the closed eyes of the girl. For a moment there was silence . Wander raised his head. The left hind leg of the giant had become limp, an arrow stuck in it. The angry eyes faded to soft blue, its' tail sagged slightly.

Then, with great weight, it tumbled down, tail first followed by the rest of the body, though its' eyes lingered in Wander's mind. The silence was cast aside as it loudly crashed down the wall past Wander, the intense impact of it against the ground carried all the way to Wander's feet. But it was not dead, this much he knew. Drawing out his sword he stood at the ledge, gazing down at the motionless mass, now seeing its' fur coated stomach.

No sadness gripped him, the age old condemned entity would find solace at last. The height of the ledge was tremendous, but it no longer mattered to wander. Leaping from where he stood Wander raised his blade above him, tilting it downwards. At the height of his leap the light from above enveloped him, granting a moment of serenity. Then he plunged downwards, bringing his sword down as he went.

It was a swift end. The only remorse Wander felt was that never again would someone venture to this place, and realize that which he had. He hit his knees hard, the final woeful movement of the colossal entity being enough to throw him uselessly to the ground at it's side. The bane of the colossus lay at his side, for he had been able to wrench it from the beasts gut as he was cast aside. And there he lay as darkness consumed him, remembering the beautiful pass hidden behind the cave... The quiet waterfall...Tree's... Stone...


End file.
